Clock-controlled electric circuit.



J. W. BRYCE.

CLOCK CONTROLLED ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21. 1917.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

20 INVENTOR I IIII 42W i w,

RNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. BRYCE, 0F BLOOMEIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL TIME RECORDING COMPANY OF NEW YORK, OF ENDIOOTT, NEW YORK, .A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLOCK-CONTROLLED ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.

Application filed. July 21, 1917.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JAMES W. BRYCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomfield, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clock-Controlled Electric Circuits, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to electrical systems in which an electrical circuit or circuits are controlled by contacts or terminals which are actuated or controlled by a clock; as for example electrical clock systems in which one or more subordinate clocks are caused to run in unison with a master clock by means of current impulses sent periodically from the master clock. A clock which is an accurate timekeeper hasbut little energy to spare beyond that necessary to drive its own train, and hence, as 15 well understood, the contact mechanism actuated by the clock must be light and delicate. This is no great disadvantage so long as the volt age across the contacts, is low, but with higher voltages destructive arcing occurs at the contacts. It is unnecessary to enlarge upon the drawbacks entailed by the injury thus caused, but it may be said that in clock systems a clean make and brealr of the C11- cuit is a matterof prime necessity.

My present invention is designed to provide a system in which high voltages may be used in the operating circuit without arcing at the clock contacts and without requiring any increase in the size or mass of the latter. To this and other-ends the invention comprises the novel features and combinations hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1. Shows in side elevation part of ,aclock movement adapted for use in my inanother embodiment.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

Serial No. 181,963.

The latter also carries a light contact in the form of an arm 14 having an inclined face 15 on its outer or free end to wipe on a light-spring contact 16 which is insulated by means of a non-conducting support 17 It will then beseen that once in each revolution of the scape-wheel 18 the circuit in which the contacts 1 116 are included will be closed and opened as the contact 11 engages and passes the other. This is not, however, the main circuit'of the system, but is a local circuit which is so associated with the main circuit as to control the latter in a satisfactory manner. For this purpose the contact 14: is connected by wire 19 to one side of a source of current 20, Fig. 3, the other side or terminal of which is connected to the contact 16 through a relay magnet 21 and a resistance 22. Hence when the circuit is closed current flows from battery 20 through wire 19, contact 14, contact 16, resistance 22, wires 23, 24, relay magnet 21, and wires 25, 26 back to the battery. Being thus energized the relay magnet draws its armature 27 over against contact 28, thereby laying a shunt across contacts 1et16, with the result, that the current now flows from battery 20 through wire 29 to the subordinate clock or clocks or other device or devices (diagrammatically indicated at 30) which the master clock is intended to control. From 30 the current flows through wire 31, relay armature 32, contact 33, wire 84, armature 27, contact 28, wires 35 and 24, relay magnet 21, and wires 25, 26, back to the battery. The electrical instrumentalities (not shown) in the device or devices 30 are thus energized, and. as will be seen, the ontacts 228 are held closed by the continued energization of magnet 21, which is ,itself in the main circuit just traced. 'The contact 14, actuated by the scape-arbor, now :passes the contact 16, but without sparking since the resistance 22 causes the major portion of the current to take the path of lesser resistance through contacts 3233, 27 28.

For the purpose of breaking the main circuit through the device or devices SO-When the current has caused the electrical instrumentalities thereof (not shown) to perform their -functions, the scape-arbor 10, Figs. 1 and 2, is provided with an additional contact arm 36, cooperating with another spring contact 37, these contacts being similar in all respects to contacts 11 and 16 already described. Contact 36, however, is displaced angularly in rear of contact 11. In other words. contacts 3637 are behind contacts li-16 in time, as it were, so that the former will operate only after contacts 11-16 have engaged and separated. Contact 36 is connected to wires 23, 2 1-, 35 and contact 37 is connected through resistance 38 to a second relay magnet 39. which is in turn connected to wires 25 and 26. Now when contact 36 engages contact 37 current flows not only through the main circuit (traced above) but also through an auxiliary circuit from wire through wire 10, contacts 3637, resistance 38, wire 11. magnet 39. and wires 42, 26. back to the battery; it being understood that the resistance 38 is of such value as to allow current to flow insutlicient amount to energize relay magnet 39. The latter then draws its armature 32 away "from cont-act 33, thereby breaking the main circuit and the branch circuit just traced through contacts 3637. Hence there is now no voltage across the latter, with the result that there can be no arcing when they separate. Also, the breaking of the main circuit at contacts 3233 decnergizes relay 21, thereby opening contacts 27-2S. Consequently, although when relay 39 is deenergized as described its armature 32 may immediately swing back against contact 33 it does not thereby reestablish the main circuit. The system is therefore left in its normal condition, as shown in Fig. except, of course, that the contacts 11 and 36 have passed the contacts 16, 37, and are now below the latter instead of above.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. a the contactsli 36, are in parallel, and the relay 21 has two armatures, 27 27 cooperating with contacts 28, 28 respectively. lVhen contacts 1*16 are closed a local circuit is formed in which current flows from the source 20 through wires 13, 11, contacts 1116, resistance 22 wires 15, 46, magnet 21, and wires =17, 18, back to the battery 20. Armatures 27, 27 are then drawn over against their contacts and the main circuit is established from source 20 through wire 49, devices 30*, wire :50, armature 32, contact- 33, wire 51, armature 27, contact 28, wires 52, 46, magnet 21 and wires 17, 18, to the source. \Vhen clock contact 36 engages contact 37 an auxiliary circuit is formed in which current flows through wire 53, contacts 36 -37, resistance 38, wire 51, armature 27 contact 28", wire 55, magnet 39, and wires 56. back to the source. Magnet 39*, being thus energized, draws its armature away from contact 33, thereby breaking the main circuit, which deenergizes. magnet 21'" and allows armatures 27 27 to swing back from their contacts. There is then no voltage across contacts 36 37* and consequently the latter can separate without possibility of sparking.

In both forms it will be seen that the first function is energization of the main circuit relay (21, 21*) by the closing of clock contacts 1116, 1116, thereby closing the main circuit, through the relay, at the normally open contacts. Next,'the first clockcontacts are opened, followed by closing of the shunt or second clock contacts 3637, 363T, by which the shunt-circuit, across the main circuit relay 21, 21, and across contacts 272S, 27*28 is closed and the shunt relay, 39, 39, is energized. The latter opens the normally closed main-circuit contacts. thereby opening the main circuit. The main-circuit relay, 2121, is thus doenergized. permitting its contacts, 2728, 2728, 27 28 to open, which in turn deprives the shunt-circuit of current and thereby permits the second clock-contacts to open without any potential across them. It will be further observed that in both forms the first clock-controlled contacts, 14:'16 and 1 3 16, are connected across the normally open main-circuit contacts which are closed by the main-circuit relays 21 and 21; and that the second clock-controlled contacts, 36-37 and 36 .37 and the relays 39, 39, are connected across the respective relays 21, 21., and across the respective contacts 2728, and 27-28, 27 28 It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments herein specifically illustrated and described but can be embodied in other forms Without, departure from its spirit as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a system for the purpose described, in combination, a main circuit, a source of current therefor, a relay in the main circuit and having normally separated contacts also in said main circuit, a local circuit through said relay, clock-controlled contacts in the local circuit to close and open the same, a second relay, having normally closed contacts in the main circuit, an auxiliary circuit through the second relay, and clockcont-rolled contacts in the auxiliary circuit and behind the first named clock-controlled contacts whereby to operate after the latter. 2. In a system for the purpose described,

in combination, a main circuit having a pair 3. In a system for the purpose described, in combination, a main circuit having a pair of normally open contacts and a pair of normally closed contacts, a relay in the said main circuit to close the normally open contacts, a pair of normally open clock-controlled contacts in parallel with said normally open main-circuit contacts whereby the latter will be closed by energization of the relay when the clock-controlled contacts are closed, a shunt-circuit across said relay and clock-controlled contacts, a relay in the said shunt circuit to open the said normally closed contacts and thereby open the main circuit, and normally open clock-controlled contacts in the shunt circuit and behind the first-mentioned clock-controlled contacts in time, to close the shunt-circuit and cause ener ization of the second relay.

4. n a system of the kind described, in combination, a main-circuit, a pair of normally open and a pair of normally closed contacts therein, a clock controlled shuntcircuit around the normally open contacts, an electromagnet therein for closing said contacts, an electromagnet in another clock controlled shunt to the main circuit, an electromagnet therein for opening the normally closed contacts in said main circuit after the normally open contacts have been closed by the first mentioned. electromagnet.

5. In a system for the purpose described, in combination, a normally open main circuit, a clock-controlled circuit including electrimagnetic means for closing the main circuit, and a clock-controlled circuit havin electromagnetic means for opening itsel and the said main circuit after the latter has been closed by the first-mentioned means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES W. BRYCE. 

